Uttarakhand man travels 400 km to collect brother’s body
CHANDIGARH: Samar Pal, a factory worker, travelled 400 km to search for his younger brother, Chander Pal, 32, who was missing since Saturday. The search ended on Monday at mortuary of Panchkula civil hospital.
Chander from Dhimari Block, Uttarakhand, is the 27th body of Dera Sacha Sauda followers to be identified and handed over to his family. Six bodies are still lying unclaimed in the mortuary with another death of a man, Jagdish, reported from PGI on Monday.
Chander, who became a follower around eight years ago, comes from a village where only 2,000 people reside and only 15-20 are dera followers. He had gone to Panchkula with other villagers on August 24 after an announcement was made in the village.
Uttarakhand SSP called the local police there to say that two men from Dhimari village were in Panchkula hospitals.
Police contacted village head Makhan Lal, who traced the two families. The family of Lehkhraj from the same village also suffered injury as bullet hit his right arm and is admitted at PGIMER, Chandigarh. Samarpal, however, decided to accompany the police to get his brother back.
On arrival, he was directly taken to the mortuary and his worst fears came true. The body with number 300 written on its head was that of his younger brother. A police officer said he died of a bullet injury to the chest.
Both brothers used to work on contract basis in private factories and earned hardly Rs 6,000 per month. The family of eight is poor. Samar will have to arrange Rs 35,000 for the cremation and rituals of his brother. As he left for his body at 5.45pm on Monday, villagers back home had started collecting Rs 5,000 for ambulance.
6 UNCLAIMED BODIES; HOSPITAL LIKELY TO EXTEND TIME BY ANOTHER DAY
With another death related to violence of as man identified, reported at the PGI, Chandigarh, on Monday. The toll is now 33. “There are six unclaimed bodies lying in the mortuary. Under the rules, a hospital can keep a body till 72 hours, which in this case will get over by Monday night,” Dr Sunil Gambhir, forensic expert, Panchkula civil hospital.
He added, “We hope that other families will also come forward to claim bodies. In case no one comes forward by tomorrow then we will hold a meeting with the administration and will take a decision,” he said.